Beer calendar: Sanitas Brewing opens, while Copper Kettle gets fresh

Two well-known out-of-state brewers are invading Colorado this month. Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, a sixteen-year-old brewery from San Francisco started pouring at a few bars around town this week and should follow up with bottles of some of its flagship beers, like Big Daddy IPA and Prohibition Ale, sometime soon.

Then there's Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing, the oldest craft brewery in Texas, which has also been holding tapping events around town. The nineteen-year-old brewery plans to distribute its entire lineup, including special releases and seasonal beers, along the Front Range beginning in mid- to late September.

Turn the page to see all of this week's craft beer events.

Sanitas Brewing Facebook page

Wednesday, September 4

Copper Kettle Brewing is turning out a new cask of beer aged with fresh hops each Wednesday this month for its weekly Firkin Wednesdays program. Today's beer, Mystery X Fresh Hop will go on tap at 3 p.m., when the brewery opens. East Coast Joe's food truck will be serving starting at 4:30 p.m.

The Yak & Yeti in Arvada will tap its Watermelon Wheat today at 4 p.m., part of its series of Wednesday Wheat tappings.

River North Brewery will have not one, but two, experimental beers on tap tonight for its weekly Wayward Wednesday weries: the first is BPR fermented with red wine yeast, and the second is Quandary Quadrupel done farmhouse-style.

Thursday, September 5

Parry's Pizza in Highlands Ranch will welcome San Francisco's highly-acclaimed Speakeasy Ales and Lagers to Colorado today with a tapping party from 5 to 7 p.m. The brewery, which just began distribution in Colorado, will be serving Accomplice, a Belgian Ale and Big Daddy IPA.

Euclid Hall is kicking off a series of intimate beer dinners tonight leading up to the Great American Beer Festival in October. The series, called The Road to GABF starts with a dinner tonight at 7:30 p.m. featuring beers from Dry Dock Brewing paired with creative food from the restaurant. Tickets are $40 per person. A rep from Dry Dock will be on hand. Future dinners are: September 12 with Trinity Brewing; September 18 with Epic Brewing; September 26 with Telluride Brewing; and October 3 with Stone Brewing.

Funkwerks is releasing a new beer in its Fort Collins taproom today: "Quad is a well-balanced ale with a malt-forward yet fruity aroma and flavors of caramel and dark fruits," the brewery says. It will be available in bottles and on draft in the taproom.

Front Range BBQ in Colorado Springs and the Focus on the Beer blog will host their latest Meet the Brewer event at 7 p.m. tonight with Loveland's Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, which specializes in traditional German-style ales and lagers. Company founder and head brewer Don Chapman will be in attendance to hang out, showcase some of his beers and talk about the brewery. Available beers at the pay-per-pint event include: Farmer's Daughter, a Marzen style beer for Oktoberfest; 3 Golden Hairs, a hoppy pilsner; Dragon Slayer, a smoky, Bamberg style Rauchbier; Little Red Cap, an Altbier with multiple GABF medals; Fearless Youth, a Munich Dunkel; and Snow Drop, a Köttbusser beer with contained oats, honey, and molasses.

Friday, September 6

Boulder's newest beer maker, Sanitas Brewing, will hold a grand opening party today from 3 to 10 p.m., featuring several different beers on tap. After that, the brewery will be open from Tuesdays through Fridays from 3 to 10 p.m., and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Sanitas features a taproom that is exposed to the brewing area and a large three-season patio with mountain views, cornhole and bocce ball sets and permanent food cart, an outpost of the Pearl Street Mall's McDevitt Taco Supply. The brewery will begin two of their beers, Saison and Black IPA, soon.

Hops & Pie brings in Oskar Blues today as part of the beer-centered pizza joint's monthly Firkin 1st Friday series. At 6 p.m., they'll tap a cask of Black IPA that has been dry hopped with Centennial, Mt. Hood and Nugget hops from Oskar Blues's own farm.

Colorado Plus Brew Pub will turn over five of its 56 taps to River North Brewery tonight for a mini tap takeover that includes whiskey-aged Hello, Darkness Black IPA.

Saturday, September 7

Boulder Beer will celebrate its 34th birthday today with its annual Anniversary Beer Rave from 2 to 6 p.m. featuring an amazing lineup of rare and underground beers from Boulder Beer and 35 other breweries. It's a list so long, in fact, that I am just going to link to it on Boulder Beer's website. There will be live music and food; tickets, $30, benefit the Colorado Brewers Guild and the Boulder B-Cycle bike share program.

Copper Kettle Brewing will tap Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout today when they open at noon. The beer, aged in Breckenridge Bourbon barrels, has notes of dark cherries. The Eighty Ate food truck will be in the house at 4 p.m.

Monday, September 9

Backcountry Pizza and Taphouse will host AleSmith Brewing's Boulder rollout with a tapping party tonight at 6 p.m. San Diego-based AleSmith has been working its way up to Colorado for years, and its beers have long been anticipated here. Backcountry will be pouring X Extra Pale Ale, Anvil ESB and IPA, and also pouring Speedway Stout and Wee Heavy from bottles.

Tuesday, September 10

The New Belgium and Odell breweries will do battle tonight at World of Beer in Glendale tonight by having customers vote on who has the best beers for the lineup, with each brewery showcasing some of its core line up as well as specialties.

Tiny pumpkin cup.

Copper Kettle Brewing Facebook page

Wednesday, September 11

Copper Kettle Brewing is turning out a new cask of beer aged with fresh hops each Wednesday this month for its weekly Firkin Wednesdays program. Today's beer, Cascade Fresh Hop will go on tap at 3 p.m., when the brewery opens. East Coast Joe's food truck will be serving starting at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 12

Upslope Brewing's highly-anticipated Pumpkin Ale will return today with a party at the brewery's new Flatiron Park taproom. The GABF award-winning fall seasonal is made with 3,000 pounds of baby bear pumpkins grown at Boulder's Munson Farms. The beer will be flowing all day, but the party officially starts at 6 p.m. with live music from Felonious Smith and food from Orange Crunch. Cans hit shelves on October 1.

Falling Rock will help 12 percent Imports kickoff distribution in Colorado today at 5:30 by serving beers from two highly-acclaimed "gypsy brewers," Stillwater and Evil Twin.

The Boulder History Museum will delve into how a few of Boulder County's oldest craft breweries got their start tonight at the Brewery Founders Speaker Panel and Happy Hour at 6 p.m. "Today, breweries have an association and a large network of other breweries as resources, but how did the first breweries get started?" the Museum asks. On hand to provide answers: Dave Hummer of Boulder Beer, Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing, and Bob Baile of Twisted Pine. The panel is part of the Museum's current exhibit, BEER! Boulder's History on Tap, and will be hosted at 2205 Broadway, the future home of the Boulder History Museum. Admission is $10 and $7 for museum members. Admission includes the first beer and the program.

Friday, September 13

Lowry Beer Garden will host its second annual Oktoberfest this month, bringing the lederhosen, the beer liters and the party back for three weekends in a row - each of which will highlight a different Colorado brewery. (And anyone who wears a German dirndl or ledershosen gets their first beer free). This weekend's party runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow with live music (Oom-Pah bands: Austrian Connection, the Rhinelanders and Polkanauts) and a mini tap takeover by Prost Brewing, which will be pouring Altfränkisches Dunkel Bier, Prost Pils, WeiBbier and Marzen. (American Craft Beer Radio will be in the house today, broadcasting live from noon to 1 p.m.) Next weekend's featured brewery is Odell, followed by Left Hand on September 27-28.

"Since the 19th century, oysters and stouts have been quite the dynamic duo," says Denver Beer Co, and today from noon to 4 p.m., the brewery and the Seattle Fish Co. will team up to host an inaugural Oyster & Stout Fest in the main taproom. Tickets are $25 and include two pints and twelve oysters. It's $15 for each additional dozen, and there will be three oyster stations: East Coast, West Coast, and, yes, Rocky Mountain oysters. Also, from 11 a.m. to noon, there will be a VIP oyster shucking class and tasting held in Denver Beer Co's Barrel Room. Tickets to that are an additional $25 and include six oysters and three tasters. For reservations, call 303-433-2739.

Tha Hoppa returns to the Copper Kettle today at noon. The beer, brewed with hops that were hand-picked by the Copper Kettle staff at Voss Farms in Arvada, is the brewery's signature fresh hop ale. The Dogtown Concessions truck will be serving at 4 p.m.

Odell Brewing will release a new beer this week in bottles that you can only get if you buy the brewery's fall/winter Montage Variety twelve-pack in stores. But Odell will give people a taste by tapping the beer, Well Spring Dry-Hopped Saison, today in its Fort Collins taproom. "Slightly hoppier than the classic Saison, this debut is crisp with notes of lemon pepper, banana, and stone fruit," the brewery says. The 6.6 percent ABV beer, and other brews, will be paired with cheeses from Mouco Cheese.

Monday, September 16

St. Arnold Brewing, of Houston, Texas, has just begun selling beer in Colorado, and it will hold a kickoff event tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Falling Rock Taphouse featuring special releases and year-round beers.

Wednesday, September 18

Copper Kettle Brewing is turning out a new cask of beer aged with fresh hops each Wednesday this month for its weekly Firkin Wednesdays program. Today's beer, Chinook Fresh Hop will go on tap at 3 p.m., when the brewery opens. East Coast Joe's food truck will be serving starting at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 19

Boulder Beer Company will release a new small batch, limited-edition seasonal beer this month in bomber bottles and kegs. It's called Dragonhosen Imperial Oktoberfest, and the brewery will host a release party for the beer today along with live polka music and sausage specials. The brewery describes Dragonhosen thusly: "Brewed with generous amounts of Vienna and Munich malts for a rich, full-bodied malty flavor, Dragonhosen begins as a traditional Oktoberfest lager, then stealthily breathes fire with 9 percent alcohol by volume. Hallertau and Czech Saaz hops add balance with a mild earthy aroma and flavor with moderate bitterness."

Friday, September 20

Copper Kettle took its Imperial Pumpkin Porter recipe and added lactose (which is what milk stouts are made with) to give "a creamy, silky smooth finish" and then cask conditioned it to create Milk Imperial Pumpkin Porter, which will be served cask-style today at 4 p.m. The delicious-sounding brew was made with fresh local pumpkins, nutmeg and allspice. But there are only ten gallons, so get there early. The Crazy Good food truck will be there are 5 p.m.

Lowry Beer Garden will host its second annual Oktoberfest this month, bringing the lederhosen, the beer liters and the party back this weekend and next. (And anyone who wears a German dirndl or ledershosen gets their first beer free). This weekend's party runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow with live music (Oom-Pah bands: Austrian Connection, the Rhinelanders and Polkanauts) and a mini tap takeover by Odell Brewing, which will be pouring an Oktoberfest beer brewed special for this event as well as Odell 90 Shilling, IPA, Isolation Ale, Well Spring, and Myrcenary. Next weekend's featured brewery is Left Hand.

Longmont's Left Hand Brewing will bring back its Oktoberfest celebration today from 4 to 10 p.m. and tomorrow from noon to 10 p.m. in Roosevelt Park. The celebration, which is free and open to all ages, features live music, German-themed activities and beers from Left Hand, Oskar Blues and the Pumphouse. There will also be best-dressed, stein-holding and bratwurst-eating contests (and on Saturday, the organizers will attempt to fill and cook the world's longest bratwurst at 55 feet in length and commemorate Left Hand's 20th anniversary with a special late night toast).

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland, which brews traditional German-style beers, has expanded its own annual Oktoberfest celebration into a two-day community festival and moved it to the Foote Lagoon Amphitheater and Park. It runs today from 3 to 9 p.m. and tomorrow from noon to 9 p.m. and includes activities for all ages. Bands will play every hour and there will be dancing, beer games and children's activities, along with Austrian and German food vendors and artisans. In addition to Grimm, there will be beers from Loveland Aleworks, Verboten Brewing, Big Beaver Brewing and Rock Bottom; Loveland-based distributor American Eagle is providing additional craft brews from Great Divide, Breckenridge, Odell Brewing and Epic. A portion of the proceeds benefit Colorado Youth Outdoors and Team Stabos (Save Them All BIG or Small).

Saturday, September 21

Wit's End Brewing will celebrate its second anniversary today with thirteen beers on tap -- which is a lot for this tiny brewery. There will also be schwag, GABF tickets to raffle and food from from Pride of Philly.

Vine Street Pub and Brewery will host its third annual Uptown Block Party and Brewer's Olympics today from 1 to 9 p.m. today, featuring a free live music from an all-star band made up of Keith Moseley of String Cheese Incident, Dave Johnston of Yonder Mountain String Band, Dave Watts of the Motet, Scott Law and Greg Schochet. There will also be plenty of beer (the event is free, but pints are $5) from Vine Street (the flagship brewery for Mountain Sun Pubs and Breweries), Breckenridge, Upslope, Wynkoop, Boulder Beer, Twisted Pine, Avery, Great Divide, Odell, Oskar Blues, Cannonball Creek, and Renegade. Vine, between 17th and 18th avenues, will be closed off for the party. The Brewers' Olympics, in which staff from different breweries will compete in various games (past sporting events have included tricycle races, blind-folded grain stacking relay, moving keg obstacle course) begins at 1 p.m.; the awards ceremony is at 4 p.m. All proceeds from the block party benefit New Era Colorado.

The Copper Kettle brings back its Imperial Pumpkin Porter today at 4 p.m., a rich, smooth imperial porter with mild hints of pumpkin spice. And you can even get it served in a baby pumpkin if you'd like. The El Toro the Tot food truck will be there are 4 p.m.

Odell Brewing will celebrate the return of Mountain Standard Double Black IPA today with a party in its taproom in Fort Collins. The seasonal release, which will hit shelves soon as well in four-packs, features hops picked on Colorado's western slope. The 9.5 percent ABV beer is available September through December.

Sunday, September 22

Avery Brewing will delight pumpkin beer fans today with the release of Rumpkin, its massive, 18.53 percent ABV rum-barrel-aged monster. This year's version was brewed with 600 pounds of hand roasted organic pumpkins from Boulder's Munson Farms and spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger and then aged for six months in dark rum barrels. Bottle sales will begin at 5 p.m. at Avery's Boulder taproom, although the line party will start at 11 p.m. (and there will be several rare beers on tap). Each twelve-ounce bottle is $12, and fans are limited to one case each.

Wednesday, September 25

Copper Kettle Brewing is turning out a new cask of beer aged with fresh hops each Wednesday this month for its weekly Firkin Wednesdays program. Today's beer, Nine Digit #45 Fresh Hop will go on tap at 3 p.m., when the brewery opens. East Coast Joe's food truck will be serving starting at 4:30 p.m.

Friday, September 27

Lowry Beer Garden wraps up its second annual Oktoberfest this month with live music (Oom-Pah bands: Austrian Connection, the Rhinelanders and Polkanauts) and a party today and tomorrow from 6:30 to 10 p.m. (And anyone who wears a German dirndl or ledershosen gets their first beer free). There will also be a mini tap takeover by Left Hand Brewing, which will be pouring Oktoberfest, Sawtooth Ale, Milk Stout Nitro, Polestar Pilsner, 400 Pound Monkey and Short Spear.